NFL Draft kicks off
- The 2026 NFL Draft opened in Pittsburgh Thursday and runs through Saturday, April 25. (chiefs.com) - Kansas City currently holds the No. 9 overall pick, an unusually early selection for the Chiefs. (chiefs.com) - Coverage this week suggested Fernando Mendoza is the likely first quarterback off the board, with limited QB demand in Round 1. (nytimes.com)
The 2026 National Football League Draft opened Thursday night in Pittsburgh, where teams begin a three-day, 257-pick process that runs through Saturday, April 25. (nfl.com) Round 1 starts at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Rounds 2 and 3 begin at 7 p.m. Eastern on Friday, and Rounds 4 through 7 start at noon Eastern on Saturday. The league is staging the event around Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park. (nfl.com) The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 pick, and the full draft order lists 257 selections across seven rounds. Kansas City enters the night with the No. 9 pick, its highest first-round slot since the Chiefs took Eric Fisher first overall in 2013. (espn.com) (chiefs.com) The draft matters because it is the league’s main pipeline for adding young players on rookie contracts, and this year’s board does not look quarterback-heavy at the top. Multiple preview reports this week projected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the first passer selected, with a sizable gap before the next quarterback comes off the board. (theathletic.com) (espn.com) That sets up a different first round from years when teams chased quarterbacks early. NBC New York’s draft preview said Mendoza was “highly expected” to go No. 1, while the rest of the quarterback class was viewed as thinner. (nbcnewyork.com) Kansas City’s spot near the top 10 changes the look of the night for one of the league’s usual late-picking contenders. Chiefs coverage this week pointed to wide receiver as one possible target, while other reports said the club had explored moving higher. (kshb.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Pittsburgh is hosting the draft for the first time since 1948, according to NFL Football Operations. The league says entry to the draft experience is free, with fan access managed through the NFL OnePass app. (operations.nfl.com) (nfl.com) By Saturday afternoon, all 32 teams will have made their picks or trades, and the first outlines of the 2026 roster-building cycle will be in place. For now, the clock is running in Pittsburgh. (nfl.com)
